Arsenal have reportedly completed the loan signing of Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid, with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.
According to the Daily Mail, Madrid finally caved in on a clause to make the deal permanent at the close of the season, with the fee reportedly believed to be £14 million ($22 million).
The deal had been held up over the transfer fee which would be paid, if the deal was made permanent; now an agreement has been reached and Arsene Wenger will have the option of buying the talented playmaker after his loan deal ends, if he chooses to do so.
The Gunners were so confident of sealing the signing, initially, that they had lined up a photo shoot for Sahin Monday, but had to hastily cancel the plans after hitting a snag. Now, according to the report, all issues have been ironed out and Arsenal fans can expect the player to be unveiled very soon.
Sahin will be seen as a good addition to the squad, particularly, after the departure of Alex Song to Barcelona. Although the Turkish international is not a like-to-like replacement for Song, Sahin will add another dimension to the Gunners' midfield, with the 23-year-old capable of springing passes from deep.
Arsenal are also still considering signing an out-and-out defensive midfielder, with Yann M'Vila back on the club's radar. The likes of Victor Wanyama, Lucas Biglia and Etienne Capoue are also being considered; but the signing will depend on some of the Arsenal players moving out of the club.
Nicklas Bendtner is still looking to seal a move away, with AC Milan reportedly interested, while Andrey Arshavin could yet return to Zenit St Petersburg. Sebastien Squillaci and Park Ju-Young are also expected to leave the Emirates before the transfer window closes on August 31.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is confident the club's new signings will fire for the Gunners once they settle into the side. "I think we are looking good," he told the club's official website. "We looked really organised on Saturday, just maybe in the final third we didn't take the chances we should have done.
"It will take a while because there have been some new players coming in and we are building a new team. We have lost some important players too so we will need some time. But we wanted to start with a win and that is why we are disappointed.
"We know that our new players can make the difference as well. We will have to give them a chance to settle into a new place."
Arteta, however, admitted he would miss his midfield partner Song, but was confident they could cope without the Cameroon international, with Abou Diaby doing okay in the game against Sunderland. "I felt really comfortable when I played with Alex last year, he was a terrific player," the Spaniard said. "But if he and the club decided that the best option was for him to leave we have to accept it.
"I think we are good enough to carry on without him."